# Boveda smart sensor



## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

Hey Gang,

Haven't been on for quite some time. But I came across the Boveda Smart Sensor, I have looked around and I haven't found any reviews on it, so i am assuming it is brand new. I bit the bullet and order one. I have a large humidor with multiple shelves, and my xikar hygrometer that I have is 5% off (just tested it). Well anyways, I like the idea that not only can I calibrate with included Boveda kit, but can read the sensor from my phone without having the open the box up and removing shelves to find out.

Have any of you have this or seen it used elsewhere? What did yall think of it?

https://bovedainc.com/store/tobacco/boveda-smart-sensor-starter-kit/


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## Shadowdogg (Nov 21, 2017)

Shaver702 said:


> Hey Gang,
> 
> Haven't been on for quite some time. But I came across the Boveda Smart Sensor, I have looked around and I haven't found any reviews on it, so i am assuming it is brand new. I bit the bullet and order one. I have a large humidor with multiple shelves, and my xikar hygrometer that I have is 5% off (just tested it). Well anyways, I like the idea that not only can I calibrate with included Boveda kit, but can read the sensor from my phone without having the open the box up and removing shelves to find out.
> 
> ...


There have been a few people talking about it, I was thinking about getting the smart push sensor, but i broke down and ordered one of these today also... not bad, $50 for the sensor, a calibration kit, AND a 4 pack of your choice boveda's.


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

Shadowdogg said:


> There have been a few people talking about it, I was thinking about getting the smart push sensor, but i broke down and ordered one of these today also... not bad, $50 for the sensor, a calibration kit, AND a 4 pack of your choice boveda's.


I didn't think it was a bad price for what you were getting. Just hope it works as well as i am thinking it will. :serious:

Having an app on my phone that reads the sensor is what sold it to me. Hope it lives up to the Boveda name.


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## macko2000 (Jan 10, 2018)

Just put mine in the humidor after,the 24hr calibration. Too easy









Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


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## zephead61 (Apr 18, 2012)

Bought one for my wineador in Dec. Very accurate. I love it....


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## therick04pp (Dec 31, 2017)

Can this be adjusted/calibrated for accuracy if it is off?


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

I’m glad to hear y’all are liking it. I figured I couldn’t go wrong with boveda brand. The xikar one I have just isn’t reliable. It is slowing getting worse with age. Which I can’t calibrate. 


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## acitalianman13 (Jun 4, 2014)

Waiting on mine to arrive can’t wait. You can’t go wrong for 50$$ I have my boxes stored in a 150 qt cooler and this will allow me to check rh without opening it. They will probably come out with a device that will allow you to be connected when your not home eventually like smart push has.


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

Received it yesterday and all calibrated and it was spot on. 


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## Sticks702 (Jun 10, 2017)

I have the Sensorpush Bluetooth Hygrometer in one of my humis and the Boveda Smart Sensor in another (cc-300’s). Thw Boveda was 100% accurate out of the box (Sensorpush was only 2% off). Have had the SP for a few months now and the Boveda for @ a week. The Boveda does not seem to be as sensitive to small changes in humi and temp as the Boveda. I get a low humidity text alert everytime I open the door with the SP unit in it. The boveda only moves 1% if that when opening the door. I like the look of app for the Boveda better as well, though both pretty much offer the exact same features


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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

Mine was delivered today... can’t wait to get home and start calibrating!


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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

2.5 hours to go on calibration... reading 2 points low. Does it automatically correct for the error when you get done or do you have to adjust something?


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## macko2000 (Jan 10, 2018)

As far as I know, there is no adjustment. You could calibrate again, but I decided to just log it in my brain and remember that mine is 1% high. 

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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

Seems odd that it wouldn’t have a correction factor built in once it finishes the 24 hours and isn’t reading right. 
That’s a wasted opportunity


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

From what I understand, if you are a few percent off you can go into the settings, in the app, and calibrate the reading. But i think you must leave the sensor in the calibration kit while doing it. I think....


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

Found it....hope this helps

10. Calibration, One Point Technique :


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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

I just found this in the app:









So it does correct. Seemed like it should


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

Does it connect to your phone app via WiFi or Bluetooth?

I have a few sensor push and the WiFi gateway and am very happy with it.

There is also another option called wireless tag and it is WiFi based.


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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

Bluetooth, but if you want to monitor it remotely you can have it connected to a Bluetooth device (an old phone) that sits at home near it and it will update the info in the app which you can access remotely


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

Interesting!

I don’t see any advantage over the sensor push, especially with the WiFi gateway.

Good luck with your endeavors!


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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

selpo said:


> Interesting!
> 
> I don't see any advantage over the sensor push, especially with the WiFi gateway.
> 
> Good luck with your endeavors!


I picked the boveda option for the price - $50 for the sensor, calibration kit, and 4 pack of boveda packs vs $50 for the sensorpush sensor. 
I didn't feel like I needed the WiFi access, but with the boveda setup I can do it for no extra $ by using an old device I have laying around vs another $100 for the wireless gateway. 
Both were good options from what I could see - boveda just made most sense for my situation (bein a cheapskate)


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

How I look at it is, what good does the WiFi do if you're not around anyway to do something about it? I mean yes its cool that the push sensor is WiFi connected but only so much can be done if you're sitting at work. 

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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

Shaver702 said:


> How I look at it is, what good does the WiFi do if you're not around anyway to do something about it? I mean yes its cool that the push sensor is WiFi connected but only so much can be done if you're sitting at work.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Touché!

In my case, the WiFi access helps me in two ways:

1. I am always connected and do not have to worry about getting in Bluetooth range daily to update the data- my freezador is in my garage and it is for mostly aging my cigars, I usually do not go near it more than a couple of times a year.

2. My wife is usually at home and I can ask for help if needed.


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## Hayes (Sep 30, 2017)

Shaver702 said:


> How I look at it is, what good does the WiFi do if you're not around anyway to do something about it? I mean yes its cool that the push sensor is WiFi connected but only so much can be done if you're sitting at work.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have been on vacation this week, and been able to monitor my humidor with the Boveda Smart Sensor. You're right, I can't do anything about it, but I can keep an accurate history so I can address any spikes or drops in humidity and temperature. I like the app because it gives me a line graph for the history of the entire life of the app.


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

Hayes said:


> I have been on vacation this week, and been able to monitor my humidor with the Boveda Smart Sensor. You're right, I can't do anything about it, but I can keep an accurate history so I can address any spikes or drops in humidity and temperature. I like the app because it gives me a line graph for the history of the entire life of theI
> 
> I have the boveda sensor as well, how do you connect it to your WiFi?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

selpo said:


> Touché!
> 
> In my case, the WiFi access helps me in two ways:
> 
> ...


I wasn't trying to be a jerk or anything just saying the WiFi capability wouldn't do me any good if it sent me an alert at work bc it would have to sit like that till I got home,

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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

Shaver702 said:


> Hayes said:
> 
> 
> > I have been on vacation this week, and been able to monitor my humidor with the Boveda Smart Sensor. You're right, I can't do anything about it, but I can keep an accurate history so I can address any spikes or drops in humidity and temperature. I like the app because it gives me a line graph for the history of the entire life of theI
> ...


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## Hayes (Sep 30, 2017)

Shaver702 said:


> Hayes said:
> 
> 
> > I have been on vacation this week, and been able to monitor my humidor with the Boveda Smart Sensor. You're right, I can't do anything about it, but I can keep an accurate history so I can address any spikes or drops in humidity and temperature. I like the app because it gives me a line graph for the history of the entire life of theI
> ...


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

That is pretty clever. I have a iPad that stays at home so that should work perfectly. Thanks for the info! 

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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

Shaver702 said:


> I wasn't trying to be a jerk or anything just saying the WiFi capability wouldn't do me any good if it sent me an alert at work bc it would have to sit like that till I got home,
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No worries and no offense taken!


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## Yukoner (Sep 22, 2016)

FWIW, the Cigar Oasis Smart Humidor add-on is very similar. It has graphs, tracks history, etc etc etc. It's also WiFi driven, and has a smartphone app. What I do like about the CO is that I can adjust the RH setting remotely. So if something's going on and RH is dropping or going too high, I can remotely adjust it and it will adjust the CO within a few minutes. It can also be set to give me a low water alarm on my app, should the CO beads be running dry.


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## acitalianman13 (Jun 4, 2014)

Awesome idea guys. I have an iPad that always stays home going to pair it up now.


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## Hayes (Sep 30, 2017)

Yukoner said:


> FWIW, the Cigar Oasis Smart Humidor add-on is very similar. It has graphs, tracks history, etc etc etc. It's also WiFi driven, and has a smartphone app. What I do like about the CO is that I can adjust the RH setting remotely. So if something's going on and RH is dropping or going too high, I can remotely adjust it and it will adjust the CO within a few minutes. It can also be set to give me a low water alarm on my app, should the CO beads be running dry.


That's interesting. I knew you could adjust, but didn't know you could monitor from the CO setup. I have a CO in my winedor and that would be a handy feature.


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## Yukoner (Sep 22, 2016)

Hayes said:


> That's interesting. I knew you could adjust, but didn't know you could monitor from the CO setup. I have a CO in my winedor and that would be a handy feature.


Yep, the app shows history. Here's an example:


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## acitalianman13 (Jun 4, 2014)

Hey I have a question guys. I calibrated my boveda smart sensor along with my other hygrometers the caliber IV and they are all spot on. I have a humidor with bovedas (65%) and a big cooler with beads (65%) and my hygrometers are both reading65%. When I put my smart sensor
In there it reads higher on both hundiors? They both are reading 68-69 ? Anyone else having this issue I don’t get it. When they are in the boveda one step calibration kit they are spot on 75 but in humidor they read different? It’s driving me nuts because I don’t know which is accurate. 


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## Hayes (Sep 30, 2017)

I had to recalibrate mine once. It was super weird because it was calibrated, then reading 8% high for no reason. I recalibrated it and it's back to normal.


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## Automator59 (Feb 11, 2018)

"Sensor has not been calibrated!" message again. 
I've been playing with this toy for about 3 weeks. Shortly after getting 2 sensors calibrated and set up the was an update to the iOS app. Apparently lost calibration, so went through the process again. Seems like sloppy coding, but not the end of the world. I just noticed that I have that same message on both sensors again. The app wasn't updated but the operating system has gone through one or 2 updates. 
I don't think they have actually lost calibration. It's more like the app forgot they were calibrated.
I just ordered a 32% one-step calibration kit so that I can perform a 2 point calibration for increased accuracy. I'll wait until that comes to recalibrate.
Has anyone else had this experience?


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## Hayes (Sep 30, 2017)

Automator59 said:


> "Sensor has not been calibrated!" message again.
> I've been playing with this toy for about 3 weeks. Shortly after getting 2 sensors calibrated and set up the was an update to the iOS app. Apparently lost calibration, so went through the process again. Seems like sloppy coding, but not the end of the world. I just noticed that I have that same message on both sensors again. The app wasn't updated but the operating system has gone through one or 2 updates.
> I don't think they have actually lost calibration. It's more like the app forgot they were calibrated.
> I just ordered a 32% one-step calibration kit so that I can perform a 2 point calibration for increased accuracy. I'll wait until that comes to recalibrate.
> Has anyone else had this experience?


I had that issue when the app updated. It was reading 8% high. Recalibrated and no issues.


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

Hayes said:


> I had that issue when the app updated. It was reading 8% high. Recalibrated and no issues.


Same here.....What a pain in the @$$.


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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

*knocks on wood* haven’t had that issue yet... seems like a coding issue that the need to address if it loses cal on updates - unless it’s built in to make you have to buy more calibration kits.


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## _stormin_ (Jun 25, 2017)

I have a few that showed up today and I'll start calibrating them tomorrow. They're much smaller than I thought they would be!


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

_stormin_ said:


> I have a few that showed up today and I'll start calibrating them tomorrow. They're much smaller than I thought they would be!


One thing I like about them is not only the size but the way you can set up alerts if temperature or RH gets too low/high

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## Hayes (Sep 30, 2017)

Some observations:


1. The battery that comes with the Boveda dies really quickly. My Boveda stopped working the other day. I was really annoyed but thought about changing the battery today. Worked like a charm. We will see how long the Duracell lasts.

2. The second device that acts as a bridge seems to be more of a pain that it is worth. It seems to stop syncing 
constantly. Then I have to restart the device (old iPhone) to get the connection back. It also prevents my actual 
device (new iPhone, currently used device) from connecting easily when I get home. I am going to test this with a 
new battery and see if that was causing an issue.

3. Following up with the last observation: When I come home and pair my phone, I still get a history break down from the device. This is still true when I was gone for 9 days. It has enough of a memory to fill in the gaps after vacation. This basically negates the need for a bridging device. Cool, but pointless. I can still monitor the history of my Winedor when I get home. Since I can't make changes to the humidity or temp while I am away from home, this was a novelty. I felt cool though.

4. I just ordered a second sensor. I like the product enough to buy a second. It's still cheaper than the other options I have looked into. It's small and, with the exception of a couple hiccups, it's easy to use. ​


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## Hayes (Sep 30, 2017)

Boveda just released an update to their app where they state they fixed the issue for calibration. Seems to be working well since the updated and new battery.


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## redrover (Feb 13, 2018)

Guess its worth the $40 bucks???

Anywhere to get it less expensive or free shipping???


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## JPT (Jul 19, 2017)

Hayes said:


> Some observations:
> 
> 
> 2. The second device that acts as a bridge seems to be more of a pain that it is worth. It seems to stop syncing
> ...




Why even connect your primary phone to the sensors at all? I have an iphone 5 next to my wineadors always charging. This is the only connection I have with the sensors. My primary phone is a "view only" setup.

So far so good. Since I have 3 wineadors, I may be getting a 3rd sensor. I'm happy with this, but I do keep my xikar gauges in each wineador.​


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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

JPT said:


> Why even connect your primary phone to the sensors at all? I have an iphone 5 next to my wineadors always charging. This is the only connection I have with the sensors. My primary phone is a "view only" setup.
> 
> So far so good. Since I have 3 wineadors, I may be getting a 3rd sensor. I'm happy with this, but I do keep my xikar gauges in each wineador.


You know what is strange? I have my primary phone connected to the sensor... but while I was at work the other day I logged into the app just to look at something and saw hourly updates from the whole day while I had been at work. 
Apparently my iPad at home that was running the app was somehow picking up the live info?? I know it isn't supposed to work like that but it definitely was.


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## JPT (Jul 19, 2017)

PTAaron said:


> You know what is strange? I have my primary phone connected to the sensor... but while I was at work the other day I logged into the app just to look at something and saw hourly updates from the whole day while I had been at work.
> Apparently my iPad at home that was running the app was somehow picking up the live info?? I know it isn't supposed to work like that but it definitely was.


You are right. The connection to BT is managed through the app, not the phone OS. I never paired my primary phone and the sensors, but when I am in my basement the primary phone will connect directly. You can tell when you are connected directly if you go to the "My Values" screen, to the left of the battery symbols will be the Bluetooth symbol (when connected directly). I'm away now, and it doesn't have that symbol, but if i'm close enough to the sensors it will.

But I use my iphone 5 as my primary connection.


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## Hayes (Sep 30, 2017)

JPT said:


> You are right. The connection to BT is managed through the app, not the phone OS. I never paired my primary phone and the sensors, but when I am in my basement the primary phone will connect directly. You can tell when you are connected directly if you go to the "My Values" screen, to the left of the battery symbols will be the Bluetooth symbol (when connected directly). I'm away now, and it doesn't have that symbol, but if i'm close enough to the sensors it will.
> 
> But I use my iphone 5 as my primary connection.


It sounds like you figured out what I did. When I connect either phone to the sensor, the other phone can connect directly. I didn't connect both phones, but either will provide the connection.


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## cracker1397 (Dec 30, 2017)

acitalianman13 said:


> Hey I have a question guys. I calibrated my boveda smart sensor along with my other hygrometers the caliber IV and they are all spot on. I have a humidor with bovedas (65%) and a big cooler with beads (65%) and my hygrometers are both reading65%. When I put my smart sensor
> In there it reads higher on both hundiors? They both are reading 68-69 ? Anyone else having this issue I don't get it. When they are in the boveda one step calibration kit they are spot on 75 but in humidor they read different? It's driving me nuts because I don't know which is accurate.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I am having this exact problem. Calibrated Boveda and caliber IVs in Boveda 75% calibration kit and now I put both in the same tupperdore and caliber is reading 59% and Boveda is reading 65%. Not sure what to trust so I have caliber IV in ziplock with a 65% Boveda pack to see what happens. What did you do to resolve your problem?

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## acitalianman13 (Jun 4, 2014)

cracker1397 said:


> I am having this exact problem. Calibrated Boveda and caliber IVs in Boveda 75% calibration kit and now I put both in the same tupperdore and caliber is reading 59% and Boveda is reading 65%. Not sure what to trust so I have caliber IV in ziplock with a 65% Boveda pack to see what happens. What did you do to resolve your problem?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I found a solution forgot to post it. Pickup a 32 boveda calibration kit and do a 2 step calibration (75&32) and it should fix that issue. Mine is spot on now finally.

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## cracker1397 (Dec 30, 2017)

acitalianman13 said:


> I found a solution forgot to post it. Pickup a 32 boveda calibration kit and do a 2 step calibration (75&32) and it should fix that issue. Mine is spot on now finally.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks I will try that

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## JPT (Jul 19, 2017)

My problem with my 2 sensors are the humidification reading is perfect, but the temperature readings are off. My wineadors and xikar's read the same temp, but the boveda sensors are slightly off.


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## Shaver702 (Jan 27, 2016)

When you do the 2 step calibration, make sure you test both at the same time. I did my xikar and found it was off about 4% at 75% test and 3% at 32%. 


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## cracker1397 (Dec 30, 2017)

acitalianman13 said:


> I found a solution forgot to post it. Pickup a 32 boveda calibration kit and do a 2 step calibration (75&32) and it should fix that issue. Mine is spot on now finally.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Worked for me. Thanks for the advice.

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## DrHumongous (Feb 22, 2018)

Two step sounds like a great idea. Just picked up a smart sensor and will try this.


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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

I’ve been noticing that the other hygrometer in my humidor has been resting 5 points lower than the smart sensor - a few mornings ago I switched out hygrometers and the “new one” was also reading 5 points low??
So yesterday morning I put the boveda sensor in a Tupperware with 3 69% boveda packs and the sensor was reading 74%!

Apparently at some point the smart sensor ended up off by 5 points???
Apparently my humidor has been at 60% since I switched over to 65% packs. 
That would have been nice to know a month ago!

Currently calibrating the smart sensor again in a 75% bag, and have a 32% on the way.


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## cracker1397 (Dec 30, 2017)

Yeah same happened to me. The smart sensor was way off with just the 75% cal kit and now it is within 2% if the caliber IV and there is a 1%-2% margin of error for both sensors so I’m ok with one reading 66% and the other reason 64%


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## PTAaron (Sep 1, 2017)

cracker1397 said:


> Yeah same happened to me. The smart sensor was way off with just the 75% cal kit and now it is within 2% if the caliber IV and there is a 1%-2% margin of error for both sensors so I'm ok with one reading 66% and the other reason 64%
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's irritating. I was just thinking the digital hygrometer was malfunctioning. 
Thing that makes me mad is I just left my cigars in a 60% humidity level humidor for the last month (since switching to boveda 65s).


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## Hayes (Sep 30, 2017)

PTAaron said:


> That's irritating. I was just thinking the digital hygrometer was malfunctioning.
> Thing that makes me mad is I just left my cigars in a 60% humidity level humidor for the last month (since switching to boveda 65s).


I had an issue where, after calibration, the readings would be correct for awhile, then get all wonky. I contact tech support, but they never get back with me. I have 4 Boveda sensors calibrated at 75%, in the same container at my normal temperature. They seem to be holding after my app updated about a month ago.

It also helps that they've dropped to $20/per unit. I picked up my third and fourth a bit ago with my new winedor setup.

I will probably try the 2 point calibration soon, just to make sure all is on the up and up. As it sits, they all read within 1% of each other. (I have 2 in each winedor, 1 on the top and 1 on the bottom)


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